On December 28th, Kimberly J. Nicoli was sworn in as the new Associate Circuit Court Judge for Scotland County by Circuit Court Judge Gary Dial.

With the official swearing in of newly elected county
officials taking place on December 28th, the local legal system took on a new
look, with a number of new faces taking office heading into 2019.

While Kimberly J. Nicoli is a veteran of the system, she
will be ascending to a new post. After nearly 20 years as Scotland County
Prosecuting Attorney, Nicoli took over on Friday as the Associate Circuit Judge
for Scotland County.

The oath of office was administered to Nicoli by Circuit
Judge Gary Dial as part of the county ceremony Friday afternoon.

Nicoli will leave behind nearly 25 years of private law
practice that was done in conjunction with her two decades as the county’s
prosecuting attorney. She also served as the prosecuting attorney for the City
of Memphis.

She ran unopposed for the office following the retirement of
judge Karl DeMarce. After completing five terms as associate circuit judge,
DeMarce announced last year that he would not be seeking re-election as he
planned to enter the ministry.

A special retirement ceremony was held for the retiring
judge on December 27th bringing three members of the Missouri Supreme Court to
Memphis along with a wide variety of other prestigious guests to wish DeMarce
well in his new endeavors.

As Nicoli takes over on the bench, her vacated position as
prosecuting attorney will be filled by April Wilson.

The Memphis attorney maintains a local private practice.
Prior to returning home to Scotland County to open her own law office, Wilson
had served as assistant prosecuting attorney for Boone and Calloway counties
for five years. She also has served as city attorney for area municipalities
such as Kahoka, Lancaster, Downing and Memphis.

Those won’t be the only new faces for the local legal
system. In April, Memphis residents will elect a new City Marshal to head the
Memphis Police Department. Filing is currently open for the office, with a pair
of candidates already registered for the April election.

Current MPD officer Jeremy Head has filed for the post along
with area law enforcement officer Jason Moss.

Incumbent Bill Holland, who was first elected to the post in
2010, resigned from the post when he moved outside of city limits. State
statute requires the elected marshal to be a resident of the city. Holland was
appointed as Police Captain following his resignation, and remains as the MPD
commanding officer prior to the election.

By submitting a comment you grant Memphis Democrat Newspaper a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.